After the 2020–2021 period, Hertz had a well-documented meltdown, so I switched to Avis and for a while was genuinely pleased—newer vehicles and solid service. Unfortunately, starting in 2024 I’ve seen both steadily erode.

My most recent rental at BNA was awful, and it’s now the second bad experience I’ve had at this location.

As we were approaching the airport, I selected a car in the app, not realizing that Avis would start the rental clock at that moment. As a result, the rental technically began before we even landed. When we reached the Presidents Club area, the assigned car—a brand-new Volvo—had an enormous dent in the hood (roughly two feet across). Obviously not acceptable.

I selected another vehicle, and since we were running late, I confirmed at the counter that the rate would remain the same. The price had increased because the system showed I had “picked up early,” but I explained that I was physically picking up the car at that moment and would be returning it seven days later at roughly the same time. I was told there’s a grace period and sent on my way.

That haste turned out to be a mistake. The app now shows my return time as exactly seven days after the original in-air selection time, not the actual pickup. I tried calling the BNA location directly to make what should have been a simple 45-minute adjustment. I couldn’t reach anyone locally and was routed to offshore customer support, who opened a ticket and asked for “proof” of when we left the garage.

Fortunately, I had taken a photo of the gas gauge as we exited, complete with timestamp and geolocation, which I provided. I never heard back. I called again and reached another agent with such a heavy accent that communication was extremely difficult, and they clearly did not understand the issue. The only response I got was “fix it when you drop it off,” which is not a reassuring solution.

Long story short: Avis seems to have prioritized automation and revenue protection over common sense and customer service. I know all rental agencies have issues—and customer service in the U.S. is generally declining—but Avis has become particularly frustrating.

After checking multiple sources (including Flyertalk threads, Yelp, and yes—even ChatGPT), National consistently comes up as the strongest option for customer service. I’ll be giving them a try in 2026.